SCISAT-1 Mission

Objectives and Applications

The SCISAT satellite has been in continuous spaceflight operation since 2003. It now measures over sixty (60) atmospheric species at still one of the world’s highest vertical resolutions possible, and includes ozone, ozone depleting substances, all major greenhouse gases, and HFCs. Many of these species are measured by no other instrument or satellite world-wide, making Canada the sole provider of these datasets globally. As of 2024, the objectives of the mission remain to broadly assist in monitoring the UN Montreal Protocol, the Kigali Amendment, the Paris Climate Agreement, and the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. Specific objectives include to assess the quality of model predictions for: EC’s UV forecasting system, atmospheric carbon transport, and climate-chemistry process studies.

Mission Summary

Full Name
SCISAT-I/ACE
Mission Status
Operational (nominal)
Mission Agencies
CSA, ECCC, ESA, NASA, WMO
Launch Date
12 Aug 2003
Mission Links
EOL Date
Mar 2026
EO Portal Info

Orbit Details

Orbit Type
Inclined, non-sun-synchronous
Orbit Period
97.7 minutes
Orbit Sense
N/A
Orbit Inclination
74 deg
Orbit Altitude
650 km
Orbit Longitude
Orbit LST
Repeat Cycle
365 days
NORAD Catalog #
International Designator

Mission Instruments

ACE-FTS - Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment (ACE) Fourier Transform Spectrometer
MAESTRO - Measurements of Aerosol Extinction in the Stratosphere and Troposphere Retrieved by Occultation

Mission Measurements

CategoryParameterInstrument(s)
AtmosphereAerosols ACE-FTS, MAESTRO
Atmospheric Humidity Fields MAESTRO
Atmospheric Winds ACE-FTS
Cloud particle properties and profile ACE-FTS, MAESTRO
Ozone ACE-FTS, MAESTRO
Trace gases (excluding ozone) ACE-FTS, MAESTRO
Atmospheric Temperature Fields ACE-FTS

Featured Datasets

SciSat-1: ACE-FTS and MAESTRO
Jan-2003
SciSat-1 is a CSA atmospheric science mission carrying the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment-Fourier Transform Spectrometer (ACE-FTS) instrument, which measure the vertical distribution of trace gases, and the Measurement of Aerosol Extinction in the Stratosphere and Troposphere Retrieved by Occultation (MAESTRO) instrument, a dual-channel optical spectrometer in the shortwave to thermal infrared range. Access is provided through the ESA TPM scheme. - Read more

OpenSearch Datasets

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